William Howard School

William Howard School continues to uphold the standards established in its previous inspection, showcasing a commitment to providing quality education within a supportive environment. The school fosters a strong sense of belonging among its diverse student body, encouraging them to engage actively in the school community and academic pursuits. Most pupils demonstrate high-quality work and a serious attitude toward their education, reflecting the school's aspirations for all students.

Strengths

• Strong sense of belonging among pupils.
• Ambitious and diverse curriculum including unique subjects.
• Effective identification and support for pupils with SEND.
• High-quality personal development program.
• Supportive and caring school environment.

Areas for Improvement

• Lack of clarity in some subjects about key knowledge for pupils.
• Underdeveloped support for some key stage 4 pupils struggling with reading.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at William Howard School attended 92.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 22.6% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 5.9% of pupils at William Howard School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). One pupil was permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 William Howard School had 17.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.6% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 13.0% of pupils at William Howard School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.7% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has resourced provision with 10 pupils.

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 William Howard School received £7,982 and spent £8,000 for each of its 1,305 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £45,000 (-£34 per pupil).

Across all 17 schools of Cumbria Education Trust, income was £7,121 and spending £7,168 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Brampton · Cumberland local authority: places and applications

William Howard School is part of Cumbria Education Trust, which runs 17 schools. The nearest others:

• Castle Carrock School Brampton
• Petteril Bank School Carlisle
• Caldew Lea School Carlisle
• Newtown Primary School Carlisle
• Longtown Primary School Carlisle
• Yewdale School Carlisle
• Yanwath Primary School Penrith
• Tebay Primary School Penrith
• Kirkby Stephen Grammar School Kirkby Stephen
• Workington Academy Workington

What is William Howard School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for William Howard School is Good, from an inspection in July 2025.

When was William Howard School last inspected by Ofsted?

William Howard School was last inspected in July 2025.

How many pupils does William Howard School have?

William Howard School has 1,312 pupils on roll.

What age range does William Howard School cover?

William Howard School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are William Howard School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 42.0, and 37% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is William Howard School?

William Howard School is at Longtown Road, Brampton, Cumbria, CA8 1AR.